I just got back from bringing my son to U. of Michigan. I was appalled by the conditions of the dorm he is forced to live in. Markely Hall – it is older than the hills, no air conditioning, far from classes, ridiculously small for two students, pipes hanging down, no closets, lousy furniture, and cockroaches to boot. No wonder why they left dorm tours off the parent orientation agenda. Giant rip off of a school for $60,000+!
I am certain that just about any freshman in Bursley or Baits would be willing to switch with him. He can use the room swap here:
http://www.housing.umich.edu/policies-procedures/swaps
@brantly Why do you say that? I’m going to be moving in at Bursley in a few days. Should I be expecting an unpleasant surprise?
They do give dorm tour to Bursley which is also old and has no AC, so they are not showing the best dorm to us. Actually I don’t see why would there be a dorm tour in the orientation as the students will actually live in one of them anyway. Although there are many better dorms now after the renovation in recent years, there are still a couple were not renovated. If you are expecting a hotel room, you should make your reservation accordingly. Only ~$6000 goes to the dorm room for 2 semester, not $60k.
I think that your son could likely trade for almost any dorm. Many students yearn for the all freshman Markley and it’s highly social ( aka …party) culture.
Is your kid unhappy. Or just you??
There are new apartments with AC and closet near central campus.Be prepare to pay at least 2-3 times of the cost if you can find someone to share.
Did you take pictures? Was there a formal complaint made to the Residential Director or University Housing? I am sure that this is not a common occurrence of cockroaches in the dorm. Also, the size of the room is what it is. Most dorms are roughly the same size. Perhaps your student can switch. However there is no guarantee that the next room will be much bigger as a freshman. This is part of the character building.
Location… that is why Markley is preferable for some students.
My daughter was also in Markley freshman year. Was the dorm a mess? Yes. Super small rooms? Yes. No air conditioning? Yes. An occasionally six legged visitor? Yes. Worn carpet/furnishings? Yes. You get the picture. Was it the best year of her life? YES!! She had a blast in Markley - probably a good thing she didn’t share everything 
She is still great friends with her freshman roommate and looks back on her experience with great fondness. Has she moved on to bigger and better accommodations? Yes. OP, does your son have a problem with the room or is it just you? Our kids often take their cues from us on when to get upset or not. Let him figure this one out for himself. With that being said, if there really is a safety issue, speak up. But if you are just complaining about the lack of 5 star accommodations, let it go. He will be fine.
@kishanp09 I said that only because a lot of students assigned to North Campus would rather be on the hill, where Markley is.
Just moved my son into Markley yesterday. There is nothing wrong with the dorm, or his room. I didn’t pay “$60,000+” for him to live like a rock star. I paid for a world-class engineering education, and the quality of his instruction does not manifest itself in the condition of the hall carpeting.
This is a stressful, emotional time for us all. I think it’s important not to externalize our grief at “losing” our kids.
Be extra nice to your spouse, any other kids you might have, your co-workers, friends. You don’t want to harm important relationships by lashing out while you are upset.
Best Wishes from a friend coping with loss as well.
For what it’s worth, my kid is in an AWFUL dorm…the best example of 70s cinder block right-next-to-the-interstate architecture that I’ve ever seen. Honestly, you could set a sitcom there and nobody would believe it. She’s been there 10 days and says she’s made the friends of her life. Bad dorms create close friends.
@SouthernHope I have read many of your previous posts about your misgivings about the school your child is attending. I’m so glad it’s working out!
OP, my D is attending a fantastic school in the midwest. Her room is on the 4th floor, is not air-conditioned, and there is no elevator. It’s also the smallest room in her dorm. She is thrilled to be there and has assured me that the fans are doing their work on these hot days, but even if they weren’t she’d get through it. Perhaps it’s time to for you to let your child dive in to the truly world-class opportunities before him and stop worrying about the dorm conditions.
if you want an A/C, get a dr note for seasonal allergies
bear in mind this will cost a few hundred
the whole point of markley is to not stay in your room all the time and actually socialize, so don’t expect a hotel experience. And some of these parents and even my 1st year roommate are ridiculously spoiled. I had to share a room even smaller than that with a sibling growing up. One of my parents as a kid lived in a duplex and the other had no running water.
I explained the above (minus the ‘spoiled’ part) to my roommate who kept repeating “this is so ghetto”, and that shut him up quick
In a few weeks your son will not miss the A/C. I’d complain about the cockroaches, they should have fumigated.